1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to key encryption, and more specifically, to discovering, extracting, analyzing, automatically registering key information of various encryption keys used in one or more network segments.
2. Background
In security systems, an encryption key refers to a parameter or data that dictates a mechanism through which plain data can be translated into encrypted data during an encryption process and a mechanism through which encrypted data can be translated into plain data during a decryption process. Generally, each network segment may include servers, services and user devices that use encryption keys. Each enterprise (e.g., a company, a university, an agency, a bank, a laboratory, or the like) may have at least one segment for its operations. The enterprise may not be aware of various aspects of the keys used by each server, services or user device associated with the enterprise. For example, the enterprise may not be aware of locations of all of their encryption assets or state (e.g., expiration date, length, strength, or the like) of the keys/certificates.
This is because the keys used in each segment may originate from different sources and have different key characteristics. For example, each key may be associated with a length, strength of cipher, and/or expiration date that can be different from other keys in the segment. In order for the enterprise to upkeep, replace, and access the keys, the enterprise would need to know key information for each key. Thus, without knowledge of the key information, the enterprise cannot effectively upkeep, replace, or access the keys.
Conventionally, a network administrator of the enterprise would have to log onto a server or device to obtain key information for inspection. For example, logging in may be necessary to create, remove, update, or delete any keys for the server or device. Therefore, key upkeep, replacement, and security strength assessment can be tremendously costly and labor-intensive for any enterprise to perform.